Know Afrika

One child was treated for severe acute malnutrition every six minutes in North Darfur alone. Eight children killed in a single drone strike in North Kordofan. Seventeen million children out of school. These are not statistics from a natural disaster. They are the measurable human cost of a geopolitical competition between Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt that has turned Sudan into a proxy battlefield. A view of destruction in a livestock market area in al-Fasher, the capital of Sudan's North Darfur state on Sept. 1, 2023. The Trap These Four Countries Built ImArabic's August 2026 analysis drew the conclusion that no individual actor or Western outlet has stated more plainly: the interventions of Turkey, Qatar, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia in Sudan have evolved into a geopolitical trap that has tightened around the Sudanese state and its people . These interventions were not driven by a genuine desire to establish peace or build a stable democratic state. They were shaped by ca...

More than 300 people abducted in separate attacks in Nigeria have been rescued, the country's presidency says , describing it as the largest single-day rescue operation ever carried out by the country's joint security forces. Homes that were burned stand in ruins days after an attack in the village of Woro, Nigeria, February 5, 2026.  How the Rescue Unfolded The 308 victims were freed from the Kainji Lake National Park Forest in the New Bussa Local Government Area of Niger State, in an operation involving the Nigerian armed forces, police, the Department of State Services, and the National Counter-Terrorism Centre . Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said President Bola Tinubu warmly welcomed the successful rescue of the citizens, who had been abducted in different attacks across Niger and Kwara states. Details of how the operation was carried out were not disclosed, with officials saying only that the victims were rescued from a forest and are now receiving medical attentio...

Puntland and the United States signed a new security cooperation agreement Sunday, August 3, 2026, following a meeting in Bosaso between Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni and a delegation from US Africa Command led by Major General Claude Tudor, allowing Washington to expand its military facility in the port city to support counterterrorism operations and strengthen maritime security across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. In my opinion, this is one of the more consequential security agreements to come out of the Horn of Africa in recent years, even if the official statement is deliberately modest about what it actually involves. The U.S Ambassador to Somalia Justin Davis met Puntland President Said Abdullahi Deni in Garowe back in may 21, 2026. What the Agreement Covers According to a statement from the Puntland presidency, the agreement expands cooperation between the two sides and formally authorizes the US to enlarge its existing facility in Bosaso. The statement did not specif...

Five Kenyan security officers, including four members of the elite Special Operations Group, were killed Tuesday, July 28, 2026, after their patrol vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Mandera County, in what officials describe as part of a rapid surge in cross-border attacks along Kenya's northern frontier . Members of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) deployed to the border at undislcosed time. How the Attack Unfolded The explosion struck in the El-Raamo area of Kutulo, along the Alungu Main Supply Route, a road frequently used by security forces near the Kenya-Somalia border. Police said a patrol team from SOG Alungu came into contact with al-Shabaab militants in the general area of Wantey Dam around noon on Tuesday . The blast destroyed the patrol vehicle, killing four Special Operations Group officers and a Kenya Police Reservist. Moments after the explosion, suspected militants opened fire, triggering a gun battle before the attackers escaped toward the border. A R...

Hundreds of people gathered Saturday in Vogan, a town roughly 60 kilometers south of Lomé, to protest against Togo's 2024 constitutional reform , which opposition groups and civil society organizations call an illegal power grab by President Faure Gnassingbé. People protest against Togo's longtime leader, Faure Gnassingbe, in Lome, Togo June 26, 2025. What Happened in Vogan The rally, organized by opposition parties and civil society groups including the Cadre national de concertation pour le changement, opened with a traditional libation ceremony before opposition leaders joined supporters in singing Togo's national anthem. The gathering drew participation from prominent figures, among them lawyer Dodji Apévon, activist Eric Dupuy, and professors Aimé Gogué and David Dosseh . David Dosseh, spokesperson for the civil society group Front Citoyen Togo Debout, called the 2024 changes completely illegal, describing them as a constitutional coup that Togolese people will never...

CAPE TOWN-South Africa's annual consumer inflation accelerated to 5.0% in June 2026, up from 4.5% in May, marking the highest reading since June 2024 . In my opinion, this number is a fairly clean illustration of how little control a country like South Africa actually has over its own cost of living. A woman uses a trolley as she shops at a Pick n Pay store at the Dobson Point Shopping Centre, in Soweto, South Africa, March 19, 2024.  Fuel Is Doing Most of the Damage Statistics South Africa said transport was by far the biggest driver of the increase, with the annual transport inflation rate accelerating to 12.7% in June from 9.4% in May. Fuel prices themselves climbed 34.3% over the past year, driven by a 50.8% jump in diesel prices and a 31.7% rise in petrol prices . From my perspective, that surge into passenger transport inflation, up 8.1% in June alone, is the part of this story that matters most, since minibus taxi fares jumped 11.5% and that's the mode of transport mos...

The international community has intensified its rebuke of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) following firm determinations regarding the deployment of prohibited munitions. Official evaluations conclude that the military leadership under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan utilized chemical weapons in clear violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention . Despite dismissive responses and rejections from Port Sudan authorities, global oversight bodies and diplomatic offices have stood firm on the necessity of accountability, transparency, and strict adherence to international humanitarian law. Sudanese army soldiers celebrate in Salha, south of Omdurman, two days after the Sudanese army recaptured it from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), on May 22, 2025. Defying International Conventions and Global Norms The core of the current international crisis centers on compliance with foundational treaties designed to protect humanity from the horrific impacts of toxic warfare. The U.S. State Departme...